Lock mechanism for public lockers and the like.



P. H. ATKINSON.

LOCK MECHANISM FOR PUBLIC LOCKEHS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION mlmv JUNE22. 19|?.

1,281,266. Patented 0013.15, 1918.

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P. Ht ATKINSON.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

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LOCK MECHANISM FOR PUBLIC LOCKERS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED 1UNE22?. l9l-Z- EERCIVAL H. ATKINSON, 0F BURNS,OREGON.

LOCK MECHANISM FOR PUBLIC LOGKERS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1918.

Application led J une 22, 1917. Serial No. 176,357.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PERoIvAL H. ATKIN- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Burns, in the county of Harney, State 0f Oregon,have invented a new and useful Lock Mechanism for Public Lockers and thelike; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved lock mechanism for public lockersof various public places and the like, or for parcel receivingreceptacles or compartments and the like, and an object of the inventionis to provide a device of this kind, which will dispense with theservices of an attendant or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple, eliicient andpractical device of this kind, having means to be manipulated, by meansof a coin or slug (which may be any suitable size desired) for lockingsaid mechanism, thereby releasing a specal key or slug, with which themechanism may be unlocked.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved lockmechanism having a pair of tumblers, so mounted and working on pivots,as to be overbalanced by means of a weight, coin or slug, whereby, whenthe bolt is thrown into engagement with its keeper, said tumblers willlock the bolt in such position. The tumblers will then grip each otherin such manner that the objective end of the lower tumbler will requiretheweight of a slug, coin or the like, to oscillate the lower tumbler,in order to release or unlock the bolt, and when the lower tumbler isoscillated and both tumblers are at neutral positions, the bolt may bemoved from its keeper.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pair of chutes orpassages for the slugs, coins or special slugs, whereby the tumblers maybe actuated, there being means carried by the bolts to cover first one,then the other of the entrances to said passages, to prevent the slugsor coins from being inserted into one or the other'of said passages.

In practical iields, the details of construction may necessitatealterations falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combinations of parts, ashereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the improved lockmechanism for lockers of various public places, for instance, such asbath houses, check rooms and the like.

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation, showing the face plate of the casing ofthe mechanism removed.

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of the lock mechanism, showing the faceplate of the casing removed and the tumblers of the mechanism in theirneutral positions.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the lock mechanism, showing the faceplate of the casing broken away in parts and illustrating the tumblersas having been moved to their limits justthe opposite to that shown inFig. 2, and the bolt unlocked and thrown.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view in perspective of the locking bolt.

Referring more especially to the drawings, 1 designates a suitablecasing, which consists of two sections, a body or receptacle section 2,and a face plate or top section 3, which may be secured to the body orreceptacle section by means of suitable screws a. The body or receptaclesection is provided with a marginal flange 5, and eX- tending inwardlyfrom the longitudinal portions a of the flange, are auxiliary flanges 6,which have outturned parts 7, thereby forming coin or slug channels 8and 9, through which coins or slugs may pass. Mounted in guides 10formed oppositely to each other in the longitudinal parts 5a of saidflange 5 is a locking bolt 11. Substantially midway the ends of the bolt11, on one face thereof, a recess 12 is formed.

Suitable metallic straps 13 arch over the locking bolt 11, toadditionally guide the same, and which straps are secured at 14 to thereceptacle section of the casing. On the under surface of the lockingbolt 11, adjacent its ends, are notches 15 and 16. A suitable U-shapedtumbler 17-is provided,

and which comprises the side arms 18 and 19, the lower terminals o fwhich are pro vided with laterally bent parts and 21. Projectingupwardly and centrally from the arch 22 of the U-shaped tumbler, is aneX- tension or tongue 23, which is mounted upon the pin 24, therebypivotally mounting the tumbler, so that it may oscillate in the mannerhereinafter set forth. Near the opposite ends ofthe arch 22 of theU-.shaped tumbler, upwardly projecting lugs 25 and 26 are provided,adapted to alternately engage the notches 15 and 16 of the bolt 11, inthe manner hereinafter set forth. The auxiliary flanges 6 are providedwith cut away portions or openings 27 and 28, which will alternatelyreceive the laterally bent portions 20 and 21 of the arms 18 and 19 ofthe tumbler 17. Pivotally mounted upon a pin 29, which projects from theinner face of the back wall of the receptacle section is a tumbler oroscillatory member 30, which is provided with downwardly curved ends orp0rtions 31, which play between the auxiliary 'flanges 6 and the faceplate section 3 of the casing. In order that the curved portions 31 mayplay in the channels or passages 8 and 9, the outward-ly bent parts orflanges 7 are cut away, as shown at 32 and 33. The lower part of thereceptacle section of the casing, as shown at 34, is designed =toreceive the coins, which are used to operate the mechanism. One of theia-nges 6, below the cutaway portion 28, is provided with an additionalcutaway part 35. A partition 36 rises, upwardly from the lower part .ofthe marginal flange 5 of the receptacle casing, thereby dividing off acompartment 37 for the slug 5 that enters the channel or passage 9, andwhich slug may be removed from the compartment through the opening 38 ofthe face plate section of the casing. The face plate section of thecasing is provided with an opening 39, which, as shown, is covered by aclosure 40, which may be locked in any suitable manner. By unlocking theclosure 40, the coin deposits may be removed from the compartment ormagazine 34. Secured at 41 te the locking bolt 11, is a bar 42. rIheupper part of the bar 42 inclines upwardly to one side and terminates ina horizontal portion 43 having a bent part 44, which, when the lockingbolt is in locked position, covers the entrance opening to the coinpassage or channel 8, thereby preventing a coin from passing into saidchannel. The lower part of the bar 42, at its lower end, has a.la-tleral portion 45, which is provided with an outwardly turned tongueor lug 46, which plays in the cutaway part of one of the flanges 6.Theextension ortongue 23 extends through the recess 12. A rocking member47 has its shan-k 48 ymounted in suitable bearings .of ,the receptacleand face pla-te sections .of the casing. ..48 et said rocking inember.47 has a .lateral The inner .end .of the Shank extension 49, over whicha metallic strap 50 arches to guide the extension or part 49 as themember 47 and its shank are rocked. rlhe end part 51 of the extension 49engages the notch 52 of the locking bolt 11.

On the outer face section 3 of the casing is a suitable key or slugentrance controlling mechanism 53 of any conventional construction. Anexample of this mechanism 53 can be found in the application of I). H.Atkinson, filed September 27, 1916, Serial Number 122,458, therefore, sofar as the operation and rthe structure of this mechanism is concerned,it is immaterial and entirely unnec essary to enter into a lengthydisclosure of the same inthe present case. However, it might be saidthat the mechanism of the aforesaid co-pending application is designedmainly to provide an entrance controlled mechanism, whereby the entranceopening 54 may receive a specially designed slug, whereby the presen-tlock mechanism may be operated for a predetermined period, so as tolimit the rental 0r the use rof the locker, and which entrance openinglmay be altered in sh ape to receive varied shapes of slugs.

In using this mechanism, the door of the locker is normally unlocked,preferably open. The person to use the locker may drop a coin throughthe channel or passage 8 at its upper end. However, the entrance openingto the passage 8 may be provided with a .mechanism similar to 53, and inthis case the person to use .the locker may buy or purchase a. specialslug, which may be passed through the channel or passage 8. In eithercase, however, the coin, slugor weight, as indicated at a, contacts withone of the curved parts 31 of the oscillatory tumbler 3.0, therebymoving the same to a substane.

tially neutral position, as shown in Fig. 3, until the terminal of' they.curved portion 31 (which is so engaged by the coin or slug) contactswith the lateral portion 2() ofthe arm 18 of the U-shaped tumbler 17,,thereby overbalancing the tumbler 17 to its neutral position, as shownvat 23. When these parts are so operated, the coin a is supported, asshown in Fig. 3. The operator then rocks the member 47, causing theextension 49 to throw the bolt 11 to a locked position, as illustra-tedin Fig. 4. Vhen the bolt is moved to this position, lthe coin furtherover balances the tumbler 30, allowing the coin to drop into thecompartment 34, and owing -to the extremity 5,5 of the curved portion 31having .been in engagement with the lateral part 20, the tumbler 17 istilted from its neutral position in Fi-g. 3 to the position shown inFig. 4, until the lug -26 engages the' notch V16, thereby holding ,thebolt in its locked position. When the bolt is moved to the positlonshoWll in Fig. 4, the lateral lug .46 (which Supports the elugor Weight,as Shown in Eig .3) is more@ .fram the rath of the slug b, releasingthe same and allowing it to fall into the compartment 37, where it maybe removed by the person or operator who in the rst instance purchasedcr rented the locker. When the operator or person renting the lockerdesires to open the same after inishing bathing or for removal of thatwhich is being temporarily stored therein, deposits the slug b in thepassage 9 through the entrance opening 511. The slug will then contactwith the curved portion 31 at the right hand end of the tumbler 30 andcause the tumbler 30 to become overbalanced until its extremity 56 willcontact with the lateral lug 21 of the arm 19 of the tumbler 17, in amanner similar to the engagement of the extremity with the lateral part20. Just so soon as this is accomplished the tumbler 17 becomesoverbalanced until its lug 25 engages the notch 15, that is when thebolt 11 has been moved to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which case,the various tumblers will assume the positions shown in Fig. 2, with thebolt locked in an unlocked position in readiness to be unlocked by acoin of another person purchasing the locker.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and usefulis l. In a lock mechanism for public lockers, a casing, a sliding boltmounted in guides of said casing, means to extend and recede said bolt,and pivoted means to be weighted iirst on one side and'then the other tolock the bolt in an extended position and then in a receded position,said casing having a pair of passages, through either one of which aweight may pass to engage said pivoted means, said passages havingweight receiving mouths, a member carried by saidv bolt and adapted topartially cover one ot said mouths and a controlling mechanism for theother mouth.

2. In a weight actuated lock mechanism, a casing, a bolt slidablymounted therein and provided with a pair of notches, means to move thebolt to an extended or receded position, and a pivoted tumbler to beactuated by a weight and provided with a pair of lugs to coperate andengage with rst one and then the other of said notches to lock the boltin an extended or receded position.

3. In a weight actuated lock mechanism, a casing, a bolt slidablymounted therein and provided with a pair of notches, a pivoted. tumblerhaving a pair of lugs and adapted to be actuated by a weight, wherebysaid lugs may engage rst one and then the other of said notches to lockthe bolt in an extended or receded position.

et. In a weight actuated lock mechanism, a casing, a bolt slidablymounted therein and provided witha pair of notches, a pivoted tumblerhaving a pair of lugs and adapted to be actuated by a weight, wherebysaid lugs may engage first one and then the other of said notches tolock the bolt in an extended or receded position, said casing having apair of passages through either one of which a weight member may pass,said tumbler having a pair of lugs each to extend across the path of thelower end of one of said passages to be engaged by said weight foractuating the tumbler.

5. In a weight actuated lock mechanism, a casing, a bolt slidablymounted therein and provided with a pair of notches, a pivoted tumblerhaving a pair of lugs and adapted to be actuated by a weight, wherebysaid lugs may engage first one end and then the other of said notches tolock the bolt in an extended or receded position, said casing having apair of passages through either one of which a weight member may pass,said tumbler having a pair of lugs, each to extend across the path ofthe lower end of one of said passages to be engaged by said weight foractuating the tumbler, said passages having entrance openings at theirupper ends through which the weight may be passed into the passages, anda member carried by the bolt to cover one of said openings, and acontrolling mechanism for the other opening.

6. In a weight actuated lock mechanism, a casing, a bolt slidablymounted therein and provided with a pair of notches, a pivoted tumblerhaving a pair of lugs and adapted to be actuated by a weight, wherebysaid lugs may engage first one and then the other of said notches tolock the bolt in an extended or receded position, said casing having apair of passages through either one of which a weight member may pass toactuate said tumbler, said passages having entrance openings at theirupper ends for the weight member, and a member carried by the bolt tocover one of said entrance openings.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

PERCIVAL I-I, ATKINSON.

Witnesses:

WM. A. RUTrrERroRD, J. J. PATTERSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. C.

